Proserpina Kate’s legacy, Martha’s statement. Sums it up pretty well, does it not? Well, okay maybe it’s more complicated than that. So I’ll start out by saying I really like Proserpina, and Martha always brings tears to my eyes when she performs it. For that very reason I’ve made it possible for you guys to watch the incredibly tender version she performed during the latest Mcgarrigle Christmas show (song starts at 4:40, I can't crop the video!). It just really touched my heart, especially in these times when we can not always come home to the people we love. Also her dancing and cuddling her youngest son while she sings is so on point. That said, and to go back to factual information, the song is based on greek mythology's take on how the different seasons were created. According to them, the goddess of agriculture, Demeter had a much beloved daughter, Persephone - also known as Proserpina. Proserpina was the goddess of vegetation. Hades, the king of the underworld, kidnapped Proserpina and forced to be his bride. When her daughter was in the underworld, Proserpina’s mother became so depressed that she killed the crops and froze the land - creating winter. However, an eternal winter would not allow for the humans ro live. Therefore an agreement was eventually made where Proserpina would spend half the year underground with her husband, and the other half with her mother above ground, thus creating the four seasons. Kate wrote the song only a few months before her death, and performed it one time live at the Christmas show in London that year. A low quality home demo also exists. During the 'Sing me the songs' shows subsequent to her death it became a staple, and Martha also released it on her 2012 album Come Home to Mama, where the album title was borrowed from the lyrics of the song. Below, I include the promised Video of Martha performing it in 2020. In the next post, you can find a recording of Kate's original live performance, and a step below that, Martha's theatrical music video. I highly recommend all three.
Proserpina An amazing and powerful song. Here is the songwriter as mature artist; at the height of her creative powers . Neither age nor frailty can daunt Kate 's bright and burning flame of artistry; as no harsh winter can dim the promise of tender shoots climbing up through the hard, cracked earth; nor deny the hard won hope of spring .
Some new info: As of November last year, Anna announced she was switching distributer for the masters that she own. This lead to Matapedia, Love Over And Over and Odditties disappearing from Itunes and Spotify. Matapedia and Love Over and Over has no resurfaced on Spotify. Love Over And Over, with it's 2017 remaster by Anna, was previously Itunes only but is now on Spotify and YouTube as well. I would greatly suggest people listen to LOO. As I remember we were rather torn whether we liked it or not, and I personally found the album a mixed bag for sure. The remaster has very nicely cleaned up the album and taken away a lot of the things I disliked. Even "Midnight Flight" is almost good. I'm posting one of the songs below, the playlist on Youtube is HERE
Proserpina - the Gods arrange the first joint custody. My mom passed away in 2011 and I saw the live performance of this song for the first time later that fall. Boy...shot straight into the heart. What a powerful swan song for Kate. It's a heartbreaker.
Love Over and Over - remaster I followed the link Keam provided and listened to most of the selections of the album . It was uneven, and tbh I' m not sure if the remaster was a great improvement or not, as I didn't compare it to the original . Still I was glad to have a chance to revisit the songs . And with one exception ( I Cried For Us) I don't recall what I thought of the songs when I first head them- but here are my current impressions: For me, a number of the songs were 'filler ', some not even memorable. LOAO was a throwaway for me. The Jesus and Thanksgiving songs didn't quite make it this time around - they weren't bad, but not in a league with others in the portfolio of the McG 's top, superb writings . I did like Star Cab , a journey that intrigued me. I enjoyed Babies, I do remember that one; and the melody is so lilting a waltz , with the McG unique take on motherhood , it's one to re visit. I found myself quite moved by A Place In Your Heart - don't remember if this was as engaging to me first time around . But the children's chorus, and the hope, even midst the bleakness of a bare cupboard , for a better world between us all -' to set a place at the table for the hungry' - just grabbed me by the heartstrings. Especially after the turmoil of this last year and a season - I found this song poignant and timely. Of course , I Cried For Us was the high point of the album, and well worth the price of admission. This is the McGarrigles at their best: an indelible melody that won't leave you alone and lyrics that explore of the complexity of a relationship while zeroing in on the simplicity of the human heart, bruised but not diminished . A signature song - as only the sisters could write and perform. Perfection.
As always you have many good thoughts. I'd personally hesitate to call LOO a throwaway. But it has its weak points, especially "Jesus Lifeline" (*shudder*). But also tops like the before mention "I cried for us" - I trust you've heard the Linda Rondstadt/Emmylou Harris/Dolly parton cover? I am also forever in love & obsessed with "Sun, Son". As for the reissue I find it is louder, cleaner and more distinct. The chorus on Move Over Moon is a great example, especially with headphones - each of the three voices stick out more and you can enjoy the excellent harmonies in a different way. (P.S I also just realized I am listening through new headphones so that might influence, but I still think there is a noted diffrence)
Yeah, there's something about that kiddie chorus that is touching. (It's depressing that there is hunger while also so much food waste.)
Anna's new distibutor continues to give - Odditties is no officially publicly available on Spotify and YouTube!
Honest question: Do you guys want reviews of "Sing me the songs"? I'd be happy to review it, but I'd also like to know someone want it! And also, rest assured, even if I review no more - I will still be coming back with news & things. & 100% I'll come back to review that early MC4 stuff if it ever materialize.
Of course I'd like reviews of Sing Me the Songs FYI I' ve been fighting off this ominous feeling since we got close to Proserpina - which is: I DON'T WANT THIS THREAD TO END!!!!!!! I am glad to hear you intend to come by whenever there's any news or tidbits you hear of or ruminations and memories you wish to share. On the McGarrigles or anything else . Like, say you decide to adopt a cat - you can tell us ' bout it right here. No need to go to the feline thread, just drop by and let us know if you need help with names ( I'd say Annakate for a girl and Chaim for a boy) And if you are planning to come back with any morsels of gossip, I can feel assured that .....ah....uh.......how shall I put it... run -off -at -the--mouth -Rufus could keep us supplied for years to come . So don't say good bye too soon dear Keam ; if you did- "I'd cry for us."
Thank you! Your dedication touches us all! Like you, i don't want it to end and am looking for ways I can avoid that. In this case, by reviewing "Song me the songs", which I do think I will. I will build up a few reviews first and then I'll start posting.
Sing me the songs Following Kate McGarrigle's untimely death in January 2010, a series of charity concerts were put together to support her cancer charity, The Kate McGarrigle foundation. The shows were entitled, in full, "Sing me the songs that say I love you: A concert for Kate McGarrigle". The first of the shows was put on later that year as a part of Richard Thompson's Meltdown festival at the Royal Albert Hall in London. All of the shows, along with many of the fund-raising christmas shows that followed her death, were curated by the now also sadly departed Teddy Wainwright, along with various other people including Martha Wainwright's Ex-husband Brad Albetta, Pete Seeger's nephew Calum MacColl, and Kate & Anna McGarrigle's former producer Joe Boyd. Out of the recordings from three of these shows, an extensive two-CD set was created and released by Nonesuch records to keep benefitting the charity. A DVD-R of an appearance in Toronto was also released, though I am unsure by who - it is however made by Lian Luson and Wim Warner and both DVD-R and Blue-Ray versions are available online. Wim Wenders, Anna McGarrigle and Joel Zifkin, Montreal, May 2013. Photo by Lian Lunson. Both the CD & DVD editions feature a huge variety of artists. Family members and inlaws, old friends like Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson, Chaim Tannebaum and Greg Prestopino, former collaborators like Nick Cave and Krystal Warren and many more. I'll mostly be basing my reviews on the CDs. I own the DVD but rarely watch it (my family complain it is 'Too depressing' and being a DVD-R it is fragile) but will note anything important. Below are pictures of the CD cover and DVD cover and disc.
Fare Thee Well (aka Dink's Song) Beautiful . What else can I say. Beautiful and soultouching , Anna's haunting accordion giving even more depth to the heartfelt performance . Goosebumps. And glad to see you back here again, Keam . Also enjoyed the info you posted about Sing Me the Songs .
Hahaha glad you liked it. You can repeat it once I get around to actually reviewing it. That was just an example of the contents of the DVD.
Oliver, remember me? (Rufus wainwright) Okay, I hate this. Compared to Kate's demo, Rufus completely butcher this song. He's slowed down the melody, and generally...evened it out. One of the things that was so great about the demo, was that it was a bit of a sample platter - there's a bit of everything in the music and it really showcased Kate's versatility. I had hoped for Rufus to take that idea to heart and have some fun with it, play around - he is excellent at piano so there really was a lot of potential there too. Instead, he chose to make it somber and subdued and it just feels so off.
Come Back baby (Jenni Muldaur, Greg Prestopino, Teddy Thompson) Truthfully, this song was never a masterpiece in its original recording. We got a demo and the finished work (On Pronto Monto), but it makes an absolutely amazing Muldaur song. Jenni's voice is perfect for this and her simpler and more slow-paced take on it is excellent. For his age, Greg Prestopino does a great job on backing with the considerably younger Teddy Thompson. Chaim's harmonica really helps give that perfect blues feeling.
Keam, We've got a problem. Your Love Over And Over LP is in my back yard. It's a mystery as to how it got there, but you'll have to message me your address so I can return it.
